This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection (2019)
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- Synopsis:
In a small village nestled amongst the pythonic mountains of land-locked Lesotho, an 80 year old widow awaits the return of her only surviving family member. Her son; a migrant worker labouring in a South African coal mine. It is Christmas and he is due home. Sombre messengers deliver the news: Her son has died in a mining accident. Distraught by the sudden news of his untimely death, Mantoa (Mary Twala) struggles to find meaning in her existence. An invisible wall of bewilderment arises and stands between Mantoa and the outside world. God, the village, and reality too appear further and further away. Consumed by grief, her yearning for death and reuniting with her family steadily grows. She yearns to be laid to rest in the local cemetery with her loved ones. Mantoa winds up her early affairs and makes arrangements for her own burial. Her plans are punctuated when she learns that the village is to be forcibly resettled due to the construction of a dam reservoir. The land will be flooded and the cemetery desecrated. Mantoa's resolve is unwavering; igniting a collective spirit of defiance within the community. In the final dramatic moments of her life, Mantoa's legend is forged and made eternal. - Actors:
- Jerry Mofokeng, Tseko Monaheng, Makhaola Ndebele, Siphiwe Nzima-Ntskhe, Mary Twala, Thabiso Makoto, Thabo Letsie, Silas Monyatse, Aleandro Florio, Sarah Weber
- Directors:
- Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
- Producers:
- Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro
- Writers:
- Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
- Others:
- Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
- Genres:
- Drama
- Countries:
- Lesotho
- Awards:
2020 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Special Jury Prize Dramatic
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Reviews (1) of This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
Beauty in the Slow March to Defiance - This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection review by griggs
A widow in rural Lesotho learns her village will be erased by a reservoir, and quietly decides she won’t go down without a fight. It’s Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection moves with a funereal pace—fitting for its subject, but often keeping you at arm’s length because of this.
Visually, it’s striking: deep, painterly compositions that make every frame feel like it could hang in a gallery. The sound design, too is rich and immersive, with a narrator’s sonorous delivery giving the story an almost mythical quality. Yet that same formality can be alienating, and there are stretches where you’re watching th craft more than the characters.
By the end, it exerts a quiet pull, and Mary Twala’s central performance—fierce, stoic, utterly grounded—is hard to shake. Whether you love it or hate it may depend on your tolerance for its unhurried, ceremonial gait.